Hercules? Not quite
by LadyYhwach
Summary: A Bleach parody of Hercules. Senbonzakura is the son of a powerful god. When he's just a baby, he's taken from his parents and turned mortal by the evil god of the dead, Muramasa. Feeling out of place, Senbonzakura sets out to find out where he belongs.
1. And so our story begins

Long ago, in the far away land of ancient Japan, there was a golden age of powerful gods and extraordinary heros. And the greatest and strongest of all these heros was the might-  
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, narrator lady! Hold up!" Haineko cried out in irritation. "What do you think you're doing?"  
Uh, starting the story?  
"No, I don't think so."  
"Isn't this considered copyright?" Asked Tobiume.  
No! It wouldn't be exactly the same!  
"I'm pretty sure that's what copyright is." The older of Katen Kyokotsu said smugly.  
"We'll take it from here." Sode no Shirayuki cried cheerily.  
Fine, fine! I'm out, it's up to you girls now.  
"Don't worry, sweetheart, we got this." Haineko replied. "Now, where were we?"  
"Ancient Japan, gods and heros." Katen Kyokotsu replied.  
"Right, right. So a long time ago, some gods had a baby and his name was...Senbonzakura, really?"  
"Well, he is kind of dorky like Hercules." Tobiume supplied.  
"Hey! Nii-sama is amazing and heroic!" Sode no Shirayuki cried out angrily.  
"Fine, fine. Anyway, so they had Senbonzakura and everyone was happy except the God of the dead, Muramasa. Angry because he was forced to be at the bottom of the hierarchy, he hatched an evil plan to overthrow the other gods and take control..."

Muramasa frowned as he walked back into his land. The dank smell of death was everywhere as the souls of the dearly departed floated past, occasionally grasping at his cloak. He frowned as he kicked them off before walking to his throne room.  
"Zabimaru!" He called angrily. Two fingers, one a tall woman and the other a short boy came running the woman tripped and tumbled down the stairs they had been descending, the chain hooking her to the boy causing him to fall with her. The two tumbled down, landing at his feet.  
"Saru!" The woman said as he pushed herself up.  
"And Hebi!" Cried the snake.  
"Reporting for duty!" They said in unison as they saluted him. Muramasa just frowned before motioning for them to follow him.  
"I've got a question for you. How do you kill a god?" He asked as they walked.  
"Uh...with a sword?" Hebi asked.  
"No, stupid!" Saru said as she smacked him over the head. "You can't kill a god because they're immortal!"  
"Exactly, Saru. So in order to kill one you have to make them mortal." He said as he pulled a vial off an alter, the liquid inside glowing ominously. Hebi and Saru eyed each other warily. "I want you to go to the castle of the gods and take the new baby boy and make him drink this. Every. Last. Drop. Then, I want you to kill him." He said.  
"But, it's just a baby!" Saru cried.  
"A baby now, a problem later. I have been planning this takeover for centuries and I refuse to have it foiled by some child. Now go!" He commanded. Saru and Hebi eyed each other again before bowing. Saru grabbed the vial and the two set off. Reaching the castle of the gods by nightfall, the skulk through the corridors before they finally find the baby's room. Senbonzakura slept quietly next to the ice dragon, Hyourinmaru, unaware of what was about to befall them as Saru and Hebi snuck in. Hebi quickly dealt with Hyourinmaru! shoving the little dragon in an urn and turning it over before begging dragged out of the room by Saru, who had already grabbed Senbonzakura and started running.  
"Now we've done it! Muramasa's gonna get us killed!" Hebi yelled as they ran to the human world and hid in a cherry blossom forest. "Come on, let's just kill him already!"  
"Hold on, he's gotta drink the potion. Give it here!" She cried frantically. Hebi pulled the vial out and put a top on it before giving it to the baby. She watched excitedly as the he drank it up, slowly loosing his godly glow.  
"Come on, can't we kill him yet?! Someone could show up!" Hebi cried frantically.  
"Not yet! He has to drink every last drop!" Saru growled back. The sound of footsteps caught their attention and the two panicked, putting Senbonzakura down and running to nearby bushes, pulling the almost empty vial from him and dropping it, causing it to shatter and one last drop to be spilled upon the ground. The sound of shattering glass and Senbonzakura's cries caught the attention of the passerby. A woman in a flowing red kimono followed the cries to the baby, carefully kneeling down and scooping up the small child.  
"Oh, you poor thing! Don't cry." She whispered soothingly. "Is anyone there?" She called out. Hebi and Saru watched her carefully.  
"Now?" Hebi askd.  
"Now." Saru replied. The two morphed and merged, taking the form of a giant white monkey with a snake tail.  
"What's your name, sweetheart?" The woman asked as she looked for anything to identify the baby. On the inside of his yukata she found his name stitched on the back. "Senbonzakura, huh. What a cute name." Suddenly Zabimaru jumped out, growling as they aimed to attack the child. The woman screamed but Senbonzakura only laughed, waving his hands in the air cheerily. The sakura petals around them started spinning along with his twirling arms and as he reached out for the Zabimaru the petals shot forward, each one cutting into their skin like tiny blades. Zabimaru howled in pain and turned tail, running as fast and as far as possible. When the danger was gone, the petals drifted safely down to the ground. Senbonzakura simply giggled as the woman looked on with shock. When Zabimaru finally stopped running, they split apart again, hissing as each movement seemed to agitate some cut somewhere.  
"Muramasa's gonna kill us when he finds out!" Hebi cried.  
"You mean IF he finds out." Saru replied.  
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN IF, OF COURSE HELL FI-" Saru smacked him over the head before winking at him. Hebi looked confused before realization dawned upon him.  
"If. If is good."


	2. Damsel in Distress

"Wow, how douchey can you get." Haineko asked as she watched the events unfold.  
"Haineko, stop getting distracted, we have a story to tell!" Tobiume cried.  
"Yeah, come on, Haineko, stick to the program." Sode no Shirayuki agreed.  
"Okay, geeze, no need to get pissy!" She grumbled. "Anyway! So Zabimaru returned to Muramasa and lied to him, telling him that they had killed Senbonzakura when he'd actually been adopted by Benihime, the woman who had found him that fateful night. Because he didn't drink the last drop, Senbonzakura kept his godlike powers. Unfortunately, though, this made him a freak in the eyes of the people. Despite how hard he tried, no one wanted to be near him. Finally, on his eighteenth birthday, Benihime told him the truth. Confused but determined, Senbonzakura set out to the shrine of the god, Byakuya. There, he was told the whole truth, that he was Byakuya's only son and had been taken from him in infancy, turned mortal by some unseen villain. The only way he could return home was to prove himself a true hero. Byakuya told him to look for the trainer of heroes, Hozukimaru. Reuniting him with Hyourinmaru, who was much larger now, Byakuya sent the two off, a small smile gracing his features before he returned to the castle of the gods..."

Senbonzakura and Hyourinmaru flied for three days before finally landing. They looked around the seemingly deserted land, bits and pieces of statues sticking out of the ground like bones. They continue forward, walking for what seems forever before Senbonzakura walks right into a tree, falling over with an "oof!". The "tree" groans and turns around, eyeing him.  
"Oi! Watch where you're going." The man said gruffly. Senbonzakura stared for a minute before clearing his throat and standing tall, brushing himself off.  
"We're looking for someone named Hozukimaru. Do you know him?" Senbonzakura asked.  
"You're looking at him, kid." The large man replied.  
"Oh! I'm Senbonzakura and this is Hyourinmaru." He said, pointing to the large ice dragon. "I was told to come to you to learn how to be a true hero." He continued.  
"Sorry, kid. Can't help you." Hozukimaru replied before turning to walk away.  
"Wait, why not!?"  
"Look Kid, I'm retired."  
"Please, I need you to do this for me. If I don't become a true hero, I'll never be able to rejoin my father and the other gods!" He cried out in frustration and slight desperation.  
"Hold up, you father is one of the gods?" He asked incredulously.  
"Yeah, Byakuya." Senbonzakura replied. Hozukimaru stared for a minute before bursting out into raucous laughter.  
"That's a good one, kid! Oh gods, I can't even imagine him as a dad. He'd probably read the history of the world and a book on manners for bedtime stories!" He howled as he slapped his knee. Senbonzakura frowned and Hyourinmaru watched unimpressed by his behavior. When he finally calmed down he looked Senbonzakura in the eyes.  
"Look kid, my answer is the same. No w-" An angry crack of thunder booms above them and lighting strokes right at Hozukimaru's feet, causing him to jump. "All right, all right. Jeez, pushy much." He crumbled  
"So you'll do it?"  
"Yeah, yeah."  
"You won't regret it, I swear!" Senbonzakura said with a grin. Hozukimaru sighed as he pinched his nose.  
It took them a month alone to clean the training field, three years after that before Senbonzakura was ready. Senbonzakura stood proudly in his samurai armor, his sword at his hip and Hyourinmaru at his side. "I'm ready, Hozukimaru! I'm ready to fight some battles, save some damsels! I'm ready to be a hero."  
"Well..."  
"Come on, Hozukimaru. I'm not going to get anywhere just sitting here. All your training will go to waste!"  
"Alright, alright! You want a road test? Then we're heading to Rukongai." He said as he pushed Senbonzakura onto Hyourinmaru's back then climbed on behind him. Hyourinmaru spread his great wings wide before taking off.  
"What's in Rukongai?" Senbonzakura asked as they flew.  
"Trouble." Hozukimaru replied. "Monsters, crime, natural disasters, you name it. It'll be a good place to start." Suddenly, a loud crash was heard from below.  
"Sounds like trouble. Looks like Rukongai is going to have to wait." Senbonzakura said as he steered Hyourinmaru towards the sound. When the reach ground, Senbonzakura and Hozukimaru jump off and look around. The ground was mostly level and they were by a huge river with a waterfall feeding into it. Suddenly a person in a black kimono with burgundy highlights runs out, followed closely by giant tan man with multiple legs and a long tail with a mace at the end. The person in the kimono slipped, falling into the water before being grabbed up by the monster.  
"Not so fast, sweet cheeks." He growled.  
"Put me down, now, Yammi!" They demanded as they kicked and squirmed. Yammi simply snarled and started squeezing them.  
"I'd watch that tone of yours, I won't be so nice if you make me angry." He warned. The person in his hold gasped and flinched, unable to breath. Senbonzakura frowned as he watched this before marching up to the two, Hozukimaru tsking behind him.  
"Stop right there!" He said is a demanding voice. The two stop what they're doing and look at him.  
"Back off, shrimp." Yammi says, putting his face right in Senbonzakura's.  
"I demand that you let that young lady-"  
"Keep moving, junior." A deep, male's voice said. Senbonzakura turned to the person in Yammi's hands to find that it was indeed a man and not a woman like he'd assumed. The man had a lean build and pale skin and the face of aristocracy, high cheek bones with stubble and the most piercing blue eyes Senbonzakura had ever seen. He wasn't sure if he was more taken aback by his mistake in gender and age, seeing as the man had to be at least in his mid thirties to early forties, or how attractive the man was anyway. Finding his voice again, he mumbled out:  
"But you...aren't you a damsel in distress?" The man gave him an incredulous look before replying.  
"While I'm am by no means a 'damsel', I am very much in distress but I can handle this." He said as he started struggling again, before sighing and turning back to him. "Now run along."  
"I'm afraid I can't do that, sir. Now hold on and I'll-" before he could finish speaking, Yammi punched him, sending him flying across the river before landing with a loud splash.  
"What're you doing?!" Hozukimaru yelled. "Use your sword!"  
"Sword, right!" Senbonzakura mumbled to himself before grabbing something and aiming it at Yammi, only to find himself armed with a fish instead of a sword. Yammi bursts into peels of laughter and the man raises a brow but before Senbonzakura can correct himself, Yammi smacks him again.  
"Come on, kid! Use your head!" Hozukimaru shouted from the river bank. Senbonzakura looked around before spotting a sakura tree near the bank. Concentrating, he directed the petals with his hands and sliced off Yammi's arm, sending it and the man falling into the water.  
"Alright, no we're talking!" Hozukimaru cheered.  
"Oh crap!" Senbonzakura yelled as he ran towards the man, peeling the dead fingers off him before picking him up and carrying him to a nearby rock and setting him down. "Sorry about that." The man parted his soaked hair and glared at him. Yammi, enraged by the attack, runs at them. Senbonzakura pardoned himself before going back to fighting Yammi, using his power since he lacked a sword. The man watched as he wrung out his hair.  
"Is this kid for real?" He asked Hozukimaru who had moved to sit next to him.  
"Of course he is!" He replied before looking the man over, a grin appearing on his face. "And so am I." He said as he leaned closer. The man grimaced and pushed him away, causing him to fall in the water himself. Hozukimaru resurfaced with a frown, spitting out water. Meanwhile Senbonzakura finishes Yammi, disarming him before tripping him up, making him land face first in the river. Senbonzakura stepped over him triumphantly and headed towards Hozukimaru, who had pulled himself out of the water and back on land.  
"Did you see that?" He asked excitedly.  
"Rein it in, kid. Mistakes like that can get you killed." He said admonishinly.  
"But I beat him, didn't I?"  
"Yeah, after getting tossed around like a rag doll! You can't let yourself get distracted by a nice a-hey! Are you paying attention?!" He yelled as Senbonzakura walked past him, seemingly entranced by the man he'd saved. Even Hyourinmaru couldn't get his attention, being passed by just as Hozukimaru had. The ice dragon growled as he watched his friend approach the man who was wringing out his tabis over the water.  
"Are you alright, uh-"  
"Zangetsu. And you are?" He asked, blue eyes shining against his dark hair.  
"I...uh, I mean..." He stumbles over his words, his tongue suddenly feeling heavy in his mouth.  
"Are you always this articulate?" He asks in good humor, a small smile gracing his lips as he put his tabis and geta back on.  
"Senbonzakura...my name's Senbonzakura." He finally managed to mumble out.  
"That's quite a mouthful." Zangetsu replied as he stood up. Hyourinmaru growled again before separating the two with his wing. Senbonzakura glared at the dragon before pushing the wing out of the way.  
"So, how'd you you get mixed up with the uh..."  
"Yammi."  
"Yeah, him."  
"You know how some men get. They think 'no' means 'yes' and 'get lost' means 'take me, I'm yours'." He said, frustration clear in his voice.  
"Oh." Zangetsu simply nodded before bowing slightly.  
"Well, thank you for saving me. I think I'll be on my way." He says as he starts to walk off.  
"Wait!" Senbonzakura calls, causing Zangetsu to turn and look at him. "How about we give you a ride?" Hyourinmaru huffed and flew to a high branch in the tree they were standing next to, obviously not pleased with the idea.  
"I don't think your friend likes me very much." Zangetsu stated simply.  
"Who, Hyourinmaru? No, I'm sure he'd love to-ow!" Senbonzakura rubbed his his, glaring at the ice dragon who'd smacked him with his tail.  
"I'll be fine. Thank you for your concern, though." Zangetsu said before walking away again, this time leaving for good.  
"Bye..." Senbonzakura said as he waved slowly, as if dazed. "He sure is something."  
"Yeah, he's something all right. A pain in the rear! Come on, lover boy, we've got a job to do!" Hozukimaru said as he pulled Senbonzakura onto Hyourinmaru.  
"R-right!" He replied as they flew off. Zangetsu watched them before walking deeper in the woods until he reached a clearing. The trees were barren and the grass was dry and dead.  
"Well that went well." A female voice said sarcastically.  
"I thought you said it went horribly!" A younger male voice added. Zangetsu turned, eyeing Saru and Hebi.  
"I thought I smelled a chimp." He said with a frown.  
"Baboon! I'm a baboon!" Saru yelled angrily.  
"Calm yourselves." Another voice said from the shadows.  
"Well speak of the devil." Zangetsu muttered under his breath as he turned again, coming face to face with Muramasa. An invisible force seemed the yank Zangetsu toward him as he spoke.  
"Zangetsu, my dear, lovely little moon. What exactly happened here? I sent you to persuade Yammi to join my army, and here you are with no Yammi.  
"I tried my best but things got out of hand and he made an offer I had to refuse." He said as he wriggled out of his hold. Muramasa sighed in annoyance.  
"Alright then. I'll just add two years to your sentence instead of subtracting them."  
"Look, I tried and this kid, Senbonzakura, stepped in." He said, a tone of desperation coloring his usually stoic voice.  
"Senbonzakura...why does that sound familiar..?" Hebi asked Saru. The monkey woman simply shrugged, missing the anger in Muramasa's voice as he spoke again.  
"Come again?"  
"Senbonzakura. He comes off all big and arrogant then acts all stuttery and shy but I know which is the real him." Zangetsu replied. Muramasa glared, turning to Zabimaru.  
"Wait, wasn't that the name of the kid we were supposed to..."  
"Oh crap!" They cried in unison as they tried to run from Muramasa. Muramasa grabs them like he did with Zangetsu, dragging them back with some invisible power.  
"You took care of him, you said. 'Dead as a door nail', you said." Muramasa growled out as he pulled them even closer before wrapping his hands around their throats.  
"M-maybe it's another Senbonzakura!" Hebi cried.  
"Yeah, I mean it's a really nice name!" Saru choked out  
"I am about to overthrow the gods and the one fool who can stop me is waltzing around!" He yelled as he threw them down. He gripped his head as blood spilled from his eyes. Zangetsu frowned and seemed hesitant before walking over and wiping the blood away.  
"W-wait! We can still stop him!" Saru cried.  
"Y-yeah, we made him mortal after all!" Hebi added. Muramasa watched them closely as Zangetsu finished wiping his face before pulling the three of them to him.  
"How fortunate for you, then. We still have time to fix this. And this time, no foul-ups."


	3. I'm a real hero!

Senbonzakura gawked as they flew over the Rukongai. He could see shacks and houses for miles.  
"Is this really one town?" He asked Hozukimaru.  
"One town, a million problems." He replied as they landed. "Stick with me, kid. This place is filled with freaks and weirdos." The two of them moved through the crowds, avoiding venders and black market salesmen as well as a crazy old man. "Keep your eyes down, don't make eye contact." Hozukimaru mumbled, leading Senbonzakura onward until they reached a clear area. A group of people stood by a fountain a little ways away, bemoaning their awful circumstances. Spotting them, Hozukimaru nudged Senbonzakura, pushing him towards them.  
"Excuse me." He said, catching their attention. "It seems to me that you need a hero."  
"Yeah, and who are you exactly?" A fat man with pinkish red hair asked as he glared at him.  
"I'm Senbonzakura and I am a hero." He said confidently. The group stared at him before breaking out into laughter.  
"Is that so?" Asked a thin man with long, black hair and completely black eyes.  
"A hero!" A tiny woman with brown pigtails cried unbelievingly.  
"Have you ever saved a town before?" The thin man asked.  
"Well, no, but I-"  
"Have you ever reversed a natural disaster?" The fat man asked as they crowded Senbonzakura.  
"No, but-"  
"Just great, another gold chaser! That's the last thing we need!" The fat man cried angrily.  
"That's a laugh. Come on Gegetsuburi, Gonryomaru." The small woman said as she started to walk off.  
"Coming, Suzumebachi." Gonryomaru replied.  
"Hey! Don't you idiots get it! This kid's the genuine article!" Hozukimaru yelled after them. The group stopped and turned around to look at them.  
"Hey, isn't that the gut that trained Tenken?" Gonryomaru asked.  
"Hey, you're right. Man, if you trained this kid, he's done for!" Gegetsuburi guffawed. Hozukimaru growled and jumped at the fat man.  
"You wanna go, tubby! I'll wipe that grin off your face!" He growled as he wailed on him, causing Senbonzakura and Hyourinmaru to pull him off.  
"Gods, are you crazy!" The fat man cried as he helped himself up.  
"Look you two, we need a professional hero, not an amateur." Suzumebachi said before she and the others stormed away. Senbonzakura reached out for them to wait before sighing and leaning against a wall.  
"How am I supposed to prove myself if no one will give me a chance?" He asked dejectedly.  
"You'll get your chance, kid." Hozukimaru replied. Suddenly, a familiar voice broke through all the others.  
"Help! Please, somebody help!" Zangetsu cried as he pushed through the crowd, looking distressed.  
"Zangetsu?"  
"Oh boy..." When Zangetsu spotted them, he ran over to them.  
"Senbonzakura, thank goodness you're here!"  
"Zangetsu, what's wrong?" He asked as he gently pulled the man to him.  
"Outsid of town, there was this woman and her brother, they were traveling and there was a rockslide, a terrible rockslide! They're trapped! You have to help them!" He cried pleadingly. Senbonzakura smiled under his mask, here was he his chance. He dragged Zangetsu over to Hyourinmaru and lifts him on before climbing on behind him.  
"No, wait-you don't-I have this thing about flying!" He cried as Hyourinmaru took off. The dragon only sneered as he flew faster and higher. The crowd followed behind, interested in what would happen, Hozukimaru among them.  
Flying over the treetops Senbonzakura soon spotted the the site of the disaster and steered Hyourinmaru down, jumping off when they land. He looks over to Zangetsu you looks paler than usual and is gripping the dragon tightly.  
"Are you okay?" He asks.  
"I'll be fine. Just, please, get me down from here." Zangetsu replied shakily. Senbonzakura helped the other man step down before a voice caught his attention.  
"Help! I can't breathe!" A woman's voice cried.  
"Hurry!" A boy's voice followed. Senbonzakura ran where he heard the voices coming from, a huge boulder staring back at him.  
"Get us out!"  
"We're suffocating in here!"  
"Calm down, you'll be alright." Senbonzakura said reassuringly.  
"Please hurry, we won't last much longer!" Senbonzakura smiled when he spotted the familiar cherry blossoms surrounding them and used their petals to cut the boulder to pieces, pulling the two out so they wouldn't be crushed. The crowd that had gathered watched in slight awe before applauding lightly.  
"Thank you so much!" The woman in a light green yukata said.  
"Jeepers, mister, you're amazing!" The little boy in a white yukata cried.  
"Well, just be a little more careful on your travels from now on, okay?"  
"We sure will, thank you again!" The woman replied as they both bowed before running off. The two ran up a hillside where they find Zangetsu and Muramasa.  
"That was quite the performance." Muramasa said, amusement coloring his voice. Saru threw off her yukata, looking at Sebi with a quirkier brow.  
"Really? 'Jeepers, mister'?" She asked as Sebi also tossed his yukata and sat on his tail.  
"I'm a fighter, not an actor! What do you want from me?" He snapped back. Muramasa turned to Zangetsu.  
"Speaking of performances, let's give it up for our leading man. I must say, Zangetsu, that was quite believable." Zangetsu didn't reply, instead he watched Senbonzakura worriedly.  
"Get out of there while you still can..." He said quietly.  
Pushing his way through the crowd, Hozukimaru ran up to Senbonzakura.  
"I did great, Hozukimaru! They even applauded." He said cheerily. Suddenly, a deep, growling sound comes from the hole left by the boulder he'd destroyed.  
"I don't think that was applause..." Hozukimaru said as he looked into the hole. Suddenly a large white cat with black paws jumps out, roaring and snarling.  
"Hozukimaru?!"  
"HOLLOW!" The other yelled as he moved out of the way. Muramasa watched as he made himself comfortable, a small grin appearing on his face. Senbonzakura dodges as the beast swipes at him with its large claws, moving quickly as he tries not to get eviscerated. The cat suddenly lunges at him, catching his arm with its teeth before throwing him up and swallowing him whole. Zangetsu gasps, his face falling as a hand slowly moved to his throat. Someone in the crowd screams, drawing the beats attention but just as it's about to attack, Senbonzakura cuts himself free, severing its head from its body and falling out of its neck, covered in blood. The crowd cheers raucously as Hozukimaru runs up to help him.  
"Hey, how you feeling?" He asked.  
"Sticky." The other replied.  
"I bet. Let's get you cleaned up." Hozukimaru replied.  
On the hill, Zabimaru whimpers, hesitantly looking at Muramasa. Instead if being furious, the other simply watched on.  
"Calm yourselves, the show is far from over." He said.  
Back on the ground, the body of the cat started to twitch and rumble. Senbonzakura and Hozukimaru slowly turned and watched in horror as the beast grew its head back.  
"Damn!" Hozukimaru exclaimed as he handing Senbonzakura his sword and moved out of the way. Senbonzakura moves forward, taking the beast head on. Each time he cuts it's head off, though,nit simply grows it back. Senbonzakura calls for Hyourinmaru but just as they're about to take off, the giant cat swats the, knocking Senbonzakura off and then pinning him to the rocking cliff side where the hole he came from is. Considering his options, Senbozakura plunged his sword into a nearby grag just as the beast moves in for the kill, causing the rocky surface to crack and crumble, burying the hollow. When Senbonzakura doesn't show from the pile, Hozukimaru sighs sadly.  
"There goes another one..."  
Atop the hill, Zabimaru dances around gleefully as Muramasa smiles victoriously. Zangetsu frowns, releasing a breath he'd been holding. Suddenly rumbling is heard, causing everyone to take a second glance. Senbonzakura pushes himself out of the rock pile looking worse for wear but alive. The crowd goes wild and move in, picking him up and carrying him on their shoulders.  
"You did it!" Hozukimaru yelled beside him. Hyourinmaru followed close behind, nuzzling Senbonzakura affectionately.  
On the hill, Muramasa fumed, blood dripping from his eyes as his nails dug into his palms. Again Zangetsu wiped his face, but this time he had a smile on his face as he thought of a certain hero.


	4. Playing Hooky and Plots Unveiled

From then on, Senbonzakura grew in popularity with each monster Muramasa threw at him. Crowds cheered his name and girls swooned when he passed. Money was practically thosn at him left and right and his face was everywhere. They even reenacted his achievements in plays and wrote poetry and stories about them. Each day Muramasa grew angrier and angrier at his increased success and he watched on with hateful eyes from his vantage point above the city.  
"I can't believe this. I've thrown everything I have at him and he only seems to get stronger." He hissed. Zangetsu simply "humphed" as he watched on as well.  
"It looks like you've lost, Muramasa. He's hit every curve you throw at him." He said.  
"So it seems." He said as he watched Zangetsu before walking up behind him. "Then again, maybe I haven't been throwing the right curves at him."  
"Don't." Zangetsu warned, shooting him a glare.  
"He has to have a weakness, everyone does, and we need to find his."  
"I've played my part, get Saru to-"  
"Saru's as subtle as a sack of potatoes and you know it." Muramasa interjected. "Her and Sebi couldn't handle him as a baby. I need someone who can handle him as a man."  
"I've sworn off man-handling, remember." He growled.  
"Which is good considering it's what got you into this mess, isn't it?" He said as he combed his nails through Zangetsu hair. "You threw away your kingdom and sold your soul to save your beloved's life does he repay you? By running off with some woman. He hurt you, just like all the others would. Isn't that right, Yhwach?" He said, smirking as Zangetsu crumbled, heartbreak and pain etching itself onto his face and body language.  
"I've learned my lesson, okay. And don't call me that! I'm not Yhwach, not anymore..." He said bitterly and he held himself.  
"Which is exactly why I have a feeling you're going to love my new offer. You find me his weakness and I'll give you the thing you want most." He says before whispering in his ear. "Your freedom." Zangetsu's eyes widen as he gasps and Muramasa's smirk grows wider.  
Meanwhile Senbonzakura had returned to the temple and had told Byakuya of his adventures and victories. His excitement was died, though, when Byakuya sadly informed him that it was not enough to rejoin him. He sighed as he walked out with Hyourinmaru before climbing on and flying back to the Seireitei where Hozukimaru is waiting for him. Just as he lands Hozukimaru starts listing off the day's plans. Slowly getting more frustrated with each task listen Senbonzakura finally breaks, throwing himself down on his bed as they walk inside.  
"What's the point!?" He cried as he took off his mask to rub his temples.  
"What so you mean what's the point? You want to rejoin your dad, right?" Hozukimaru asked.  
"Yeah, but none of this seems to be getting there..."  
"Listen to me, kid. You'll get there, I swear. If anyone can do it, it's you." He said honestly.  
"Really?"  
"I can feel it in my gut, kid, you'll get there. So just hold on, okay." The heartfelt moment was suddenly shattere as the doors flung open, letting screaming girls file through, each one grabbing at his clothes and calling his name.  
"A little help!" He called over the screaming girls.  
"I got this!" He replied before blowing a whistle he grabbed from the night stand. The girls looked up only to find that Senbonzakura had disappeared.  
"Where'd he got!?" They all cried.  
"There he goes, out the back door!" Hozukimaru yelled. The girls dashed out the door with Hozukimaru following to continue the wild goose chase. The door slides closed and Zangetsu walks out of the shadows, moving away from the door to look for Senbonzakura. Spotting behind a foldable paper changing wall, he slides it closed.  
"Zangetsu!"  
"It's alright, they're all gone." He said as he moved away and sat down on a nearby chair. He carefully looked over Senbonzakura's face as he had never seen it before. He was certainly a handsome young man, expressive stormy grey eyes set in a pale face with smooth skin.  
"Thanks. It's really good to see you. He said, a warm smile spreading across his face. Zangetsu felt his cheeks flush a little but easily forced it down, instead crossing his legs and leaning some.  
"So this is what a hero does on his days off?" He asked as he looked around the well furnished mansion.  
"Well, no, not usually. I don't really think it counts as a day off." He said sheepishly.  
"You sound like you could use one, then. Do you think your nanny would go berserk if you played hooky this afternoon?" He asked with a charming smile. Senbonzakura chewed on his lip as he thought about it.  
"I don't know, I mean Hozukimaru has the day pretty much all planned out.  
"Come on, it'll be fine. Don't you deserve a little you time?" He asked as he stood, taking Senbonzakura's hand. "If we go out the side and slide through the market, he'll never see you." Senbonzakura looks at the back door before smiling at Zangetsu. The two make their way out just as Zangetsu said and made their way to a nice little restaurant nestled between a tea shop and a clothing store with a lake view before hitting a play that wasn't about Senbonzakura. As the day wound down the two found themselves walking through a garden, laughing as they talked. Looking over Zangetsu sees Zabimaru hiding in the bushes.  
"Pst! Stop fulling around!" Saru whispered.  
"Yeah, hurry up already." Hebi said. Senbonzakura turns to Zangetsu and Zabimaru hides farther in the bushes.  
"Today was just...wow! Thanks for talking me into this." Senbonzakura said as he smiled at Zangetsu.  
"Oh...don't thank me yet." He half whispers before "falling" into Senbonzakura's arms.  
"Hey, careful there." He said as he held him.  
"Sorry, weak ankles." Zangetsu lied.  
"Oh, well maybe you better sit down then. We've been walking all day." Senbonzakura replied as he sets him down on a bench before sitting next to him.  
"So, do you have problems with things like this?" He asked. "Weak ankles, I mean."  
"Oh! No, not really."  
"Nothing at all? No trick knee?" Zangetsu asked as he moved closer.  
"I, well-" Senbonzakura began to stutter, a blush coloring his face.  
"No raptures disks?" Zangetsu continued as he leaned against him. Senbonzakura flushed even darker before suddenly getting up.  
"N-nope, I'm perfectly healthy." He replied. Zangetsu sighed and blew a strand of hair out of his face before following Senbonzakura.  
"You know...when I was a kid, I would've given anything to be like everyone else." He said dreamily.  
"You wanted to be petty and dishonest?" Zangetsu asked.  
"Not everyone is like that."  
"Yes they are..." Zangetsu whispered as he sat on the edge of a fountain.  
"You're not like that." Senbonzakura said as he sat next to him.  
"How do you know what I'm like?"  
"All I know is that you're the most amazing person I've ever met." Zangetsu tries to scoot away but Senbonzakura gently pulls him back and cups his face. "When I'm with you, I feel happy. I don't feel so alone." He continued as he looked into Zangetsu's eyes.  
"Sometimes it's better to be alone."  
"What do you mean?"  
"No one can hurt you if you're alone."  
"Zangetsu, I'd never hurt you..." He said as he brought their faces closer together, eyes slowly closing.  
"And I don't want to hurt you so, let's just do ourselves a favor and stop...this before...um...we..." Zangetsu looses his train of thought as their lips brush but a loud voice startles them.  
"Break it up, you two! I've been looking all over for you, lover boy!" Hozukimaru yelled angrily from Hyourinmaru's back.  
"Calm down, it was my idea." Zangetsu said as he glared at Hozukimaru.  
"Back off, cradle robber! You're already on my list so don't make it worse for yourself!" He shouted back before turning back to Senbonzakura. "As for you, you have till the count of three to get on the dragon or so help me!"  
"Alright, alright, I'm going."  
"Sorry." Zangetsu said quietly.  
"It's okay, he'll get over it." He replied as he reaches up and pulls a sakura blossom from a nearby tree and puts it in Zangetsu's hair before kissing his cheek, causing him to blush.  
"Move! Move, move, move, move!" Hozukimaru yelled as Senbonzakura climbed onto Hyourinmaru before flying off. Not really paying attention, Senbonzakura accidentally knocks Hozukimaru off, knocking his head on a rock. Meanwhile Zangetsu sits on the fountain edge again, gently taking the blossom out of his hair and admiring it with a smile. The smile suddenly falters and he sighs.  
"What's the matter with me? I can't do this again...can I...? No! I can't! I can't! I won't say I'm in love...at least..." He stares at the blossom again before smiling again and laying on the fountain. " At least out loud, I won't say I'm in love." He said as he closed his eyes and thinks of a certain samurai. He becomes aware of a sudden unwanted presence and sits up, looking over to find Muramasa standing nearby.  
"So, what do you have for me?" He asked.  
"Get someone else, I'm done." Zangetsu replied.  
"I'm sorry, what was that?" Muramasa asked.  
"You heard me, I said I'm done." He snapped back.  
"You seem to be forgetting an ever so crucial detail, my dear, I OWN you." He hissed.  
Nearby Hozukimaru comes to, wincing as he felt the bump on his head.  
"You do as you're told." Muramasa said sternly, a firm grip of Zangetsu's arm. Hearing this Hozukimaru peaked from behind the bushes, watching Zangetsu and Muramasa.  
"If I say 'sing', you ask, 'what song?'. If I say I want Senbonzakura's head on a platter, you say-"  
"Medium or well-done..." Zangetsu replied with resignation. Hozukimaru frowned as he watched.  
"I knew that guy was trouble...this is gonna break the kid's heart..." He said quietly before scurrying away.  
"I'll work on that..." Zangetsu said half heartedly.  
"I'm sorry, do you hear that? That's the sound of your freedom fluttering away forever." Muramasa said sternly.  
"I don't care! I won't help you hurt him." Zangetsu replied with renewed vigor.  
"I honestly can't believe your getting worked up about some guy."  
"He's different. He's honest and sweet and he'd never do anything to hurt me."  
"He's a man, of course he will."  
"Besides, you can't beat him. He has no weaknesses," Zangetsu said as he looked at the blossom lovingly before turning to Muramasa again, "He's going to-"  
"Oh, but I think he's does." He said, taking the blossom and eying it with a grin before grabbing his throat and crushing the blossom.


	5. The Big Finish

Hozukimaru made the long trek back to the manor where he found Senbonzakura practically bouncing off the walls of the dojo. He frowned sadly as he realized just how much the truth was going to hurt him. When Senbonzakura finally spotted him, he smiled.  
"Hey Hozukimaru. What's wrong? You look upset."  
"Kid, we need to talk..."  
"What about? Is about Zangetsu? I just can't stop thinking about him, today was so great!" He said cheerily, doing a cartwheel across the dojo.  
"Kid, will you calm down for a second, I'm trying to talk to you!"  
Outside Hyourinmaru was preparing to sleep when he heard a shuffling in a nearby stable. Curious I'm case it was danger, he slunk into the stable and looked around. Suddenly Zabimaru dropped from the roof and started wrestling with him, trying him to the rafters and side beams. Back in the dojo, Senbonzakura had managed to get Hozukimaru to playfully spar with him, though his frustration was mounting as he tried to tell Senbonzakura the truth before finally yelling out:  
"He's a fraud! He's been playing you the whole time!" Senbonzakura stopped before laughing it off.  
"Come on, stop messing around." He said.  
"I'm not joking!"  
"I know your upset, but that's no reason to-"  
"You're missing the point!"  
"The point is I love him!"  
"He doesn't love you!"  
"Stop!"  
"He's nothing but a two-timing,"  
"Stop it!"  
"No-good, lying, scheming-"  
"I said stop!" Senbonzakura shouted as loud as he could, angry tears stinging his eyes. Hozukimaru stared at him before sighing.  
"You know what? Fine. You don't want to face to truth, that's fine, but I'm leaving. I'm not going to sit here and watch you crash and burn." He said before turning around and leaving. Senbonzakura just glared at his back.  
"Fine, leave! I don't need you..." He said as Hozukimaru walked away. When Hozukimaru was out of sight, he turned around only to be greeted by Muramasa.  
"Good evening." He said with a bow. "I am Muramasa."  
"Not now, okay?" He said, brushing the man off only to bump into him again.  
"It'll only be a minute, I promise. You see, I've been working on something very important for a very long time. You are making things a little difficult, though, with all your acts of heroism. I need you to take a little break, a day long vacation if you will."  
"You're insane."  
"Now, now, you might not want to take this to lightly. I've got some, shall we say, leverage you might want to know about." He says before seemingly reaching into the wall and pulling Zangetsu out.  
"Senbonzakura, don't listen-" Muramasa gags and binds him, pulling him through the floor.  
"Let him go!" Senbonzakura demanded.  
"Here's the deal. You give up your powers for the next twenty four hours and Zangetsu runs free, safe from harm. What says you?" Muramasa asks smugly.  
"...people are going to get hurt, aren't they..?"  
"Well, some might. It is war after all. But-" Muramasa says as he brings Zangetsu again, pinching his cheeks. "What do you owe these people? I mean, Zangetsu is more important, isn't he? Well, isn't he?" Senbonzakura looked from Muramasa to Zangetsu, who shook his head vigorously "no". Swallowing hard, he turned back to Muramasa.  
"You have to promise he won't be hurt."  
"Of course, he's safe otherwise you get your powers back. So, do we have a deal?" Muramasa asked, holding out his free hand to shake on it. Senbonzakura hesitated before grabbing his hand and shaking on it, his power suddenly draining from him., leaving him light headed and dizzy.  
"Now you know how it feels to be just like everyone else. Isn't it wonderful? Oh, I almost forgot! Zangetsu, dear, a deal's a deal. You're free." He said as he snapped his fingers, freeing Zangetsu before pulling him to him. "I must say, he's quite the actor."  
"Stop it!" Zangetsu said as he yanked away from Muramasa.  
"Wha-what do you mean?" Senbonzakura asked weakly.  
"I mean he's been working for me the whole time."  
"N-no, you're lying!" Hebi and Saru come out and dancing around him, mocking him.  
"Help!" Saru cries.  
"Jeepers, mister, your amazing!" Sebi laughs.  
Zangetsu runs over to Senbonzakura but he only moves away.  
"Senbonzakura, please, it's not like that! I didn't-I couldn't-I...I'm so sorry." He sobbed into his hands as Zabimaru danced around him.  
"Our hero's a zero!" The sing-songed cruely.  
"As much as I'd love to stay, I'm afraid I have things to do. Good bye, Senbonzakura, Zangetsu." He said triumphantly, bowing before disappearing. Easily making his way to gate of the Menos Grande, Muramasa looked down on them before freeing them, pointing them in the direction of their shared enemy, save one, which he sent to take care of unfinished business. So unprepared were the gods that they easily fell to their advances. Mean while, in Seireitei, the Menos Grande Muramasa pulled from the others caused havoc in Seireitei.  
"Senbonzakura, where are you!?" It called out. Senbonzakura watched its rampage before setting out to fight the creature.  
"What are you doing? Without your power, you'll die!" Zangetsu said as he stepped in front of him. Senbonzakura simply glared before pushing him out of the way.  
"There are worse things." He replied  
"Wait! Stop!" Unable to stop Senbonzakura himself, Zangetsu searches around before finding Hyourinmaru tied up in the stables, who wriggles and writhes, hissing and snarling at him as he tried to untie him.  
"Easy there! We have to find Hozukimaru, he's the only one who can talk some sense into Senbonzakura." He said as he pulled off the last knot. Hyourinmaru stared at him before letting him on and flying off. They soon find him about to board a ship leaving the Rukongai port.  
"Hozukimaru! Hozukimaru, Senbonzakura needs your help!" Zangetsu yelled over the turbulent winds.  
"What does he need me for, he's got you?!"  
"He won't listen to me!"  
"Good, he's finally got some sense!"  
"Look, I know I was wrong but this isn't about me, it's about him! If you don't help him, he's going to die!"  
Hozukimaru's eyes widened at that and he looked at the ship before looking at Zangetsu. Sighing, he jumped on to Hyourinmaru and the three of them flew back to Seireitei just in time to see Senbonzakura swatted into one of the buildings.  
"Kid!" Hozukimaru called as he jumped off Hyourinmaru and run to him.  
"Hozukimaru?" He asked weakly.  
"Come on, kid! You can do this, I believe in you, we all do." Hozukimaru said as he whipped the blood from Senbonzakura's lips. The Menos Grande picked picked Senbonzakura up, planning on devouring him, but Senbonzakura managed to brag a burning stick, jabbing it in the eye, causing him to drop him. He quickly grabs some rope and tangles his legs, causing him to fall over a cliff. The force of the fall knocks an already loose puller off balance and it starts to fall towards and weak and unsuspecting Senbonzakura.  
"No!" Zangetsu cried before pushing him out of the way only for it to fall on him instead.  
"Zangetsu!" He rushes over and grabs the puller, trying to lift it. Suddenly, it's cuts to pieces by his sakura petal blades, surprising him.  
"W-what happened?"  
"M-Muramasa's deal is broken. He promised I wouldn't get hurt." Zangetsu explained weakly.  
"Zangetsu, why did you-you didn't have to-"  
"People do crazy things when they're in love..." He replied before coughing.  
"Oh Zangetsu, I-I just..."  
"Are you always this articulate? You haven't got much time...you..you can still stop Muramasa..." He gasped out. Senbonzakura clearly didn't want to leave but he knew he had to.  
"I've got him, go stop Muramasa." Hozukimaru said. Senbonzakura nodded before turning back to Zangetsu.  
"You're going to be gone, I promise." He said before climbing onto Hyourinmaru and flying towards the castle of the gods.  
Muramasa watched gleefully as each of his foes was restrained but just as he was about to get comfortable, Senbonzakura flew in, easily freeing the other gods, including Byakuya.  
"Thank you, son. I think it's time we taught these miscreants a lesson." He said as he controlled his own sakura blades, slicing cleanly threw the other Menos Grande. Growling Muramasa disappeared but not before leaving Senbonzakura with a message.  
"You may have won this time but I've got a consolation prize waiting for me, a friend of yours who's DYING to see me again."  
"Zangetsu!" Senbonzakura quickly climbs onto Hyourinmaru and flies as fast as he can back to Hozukimaru and Zangetsu but when he gets there, it's to late. Zangetsu is limp and lifeless giants the cold hard ground.  
"No..." He warbles out, tears stinging his eyes.  
"I'm sorry kid...there's just some things you can't change..." Hozukimaru said as he placed a hand on his shoulder.  
"...yes, I can" he replied as he suddenly stood.  
Meanwhile, in the underworld, Muramasa paces furiously, his thoughts interrupted when Senbonzakura literally bursts in.  
"Where's Zangetsu?" He growled out.  
"Well if it isn't the conquering hero." Muramasa said sarcastically. Senbonzakura growled and grabbed him by the collar of his robes.  
"Give him back." He demanded. Muramasa sucked on his teeth and he pulled Senbonzakura off him.  
"I'm afraid I can't do that." He said as he lead him to the Well of the Dead. "Souls go in, they don't come out."  
"What about a trade?"  
"A trade?"  
"His soul for mine?"  
"Hmmm, well...oh, alright. He stays, you go."  
"Deal." And with that he jumped in, swimming after Zangetsu's spirit.  
"Oh, you know what I forgot to mention? You'll be dead before you get to him." He said with a grin. He watches as years are stripped from Senbonzakura who continues to swim closer and closer to Zangetsu. Just when it looks like he's won, Senbonzakura grabs Zangetsu and returns to the surface, glowing.  
"What!? But-how! You can't be alive unless you're-"  
"A god?" Zabimaru supplied. Muramasa gawked he growled as he went to strike him only to be tossed into the Well of the Dead and dragged under by the souls of the departed.  
"He's going to be mad when he gets out." Hebi whimpered, looking over the edge.  
"If. If he gets out." Saru corrected.  
"If is good." Hebi replied with a smile.  
Senbonzakura quickly leaves the underworld and returns to Zangetsu's body, gently placing his soul inside. Zangetsu wakes with a gasp, eyes fluttering open.  
"What...why did you..?"  
"People do crazy things when they're in love." Senbonzakura replied. He leans in to kiss Zangetsu but they are again interrupted, this time by a cloud forming at their feet and whisking them away to the castle of the gods. Hozukimaru quickly follows on Hyourimaru, awestruck by how they were greeted by the gods. Byakuya stepped out and greeted Senbonzakura with a boy.  
"You did it, you became a true hero. Now you can take your place amongst the gods." He said, placing a gentle hand on Senbonzakura's shoulders and leading him to the gates of the castle, leaving Zangetsu behind. Zangetsu simply smiled.  
"You'll be a great god." He whispered as he turned to leave, though he wasn't sure where he'd go.  
"Father, this is wonder, truly it is but...I can't. My place is with Zangetsu." Senbonzakura said as he returned to him, gently pulling Zangetsu to him. "I know where I belong now, and it's at his side." He said before finally kissing him. Byakuya was shocked, but happy for his son. He sent them back to earth, restoring Senbonzakura's mortality.

"Well that was cheesy." Haineko said.  
"It really was." Tobiume agreed.  
Remind me never to try this again.  
"Can do."

**seriously, though, I will probably never do anything like this again. It seemed cool in my head but writing it almost killed me.**


End file.
